What's Hot: Sturdy and very protective of the tablet, solidly built, good color selection.

What's Not: The built-in stand is too stiff to use easily when the case is new, covers one of the speakers.

Reviewed by Tong Zhang

M-Edge makes several jacket style cases for the Kindle Fire including the Hampton Jacket, the Incline Jacket and the Trip Jacket. While they have similar designs, the Trip Jacket offers a couple of extra features than the rest. The two-tone case offers very strong protection for the Kindle Fire tablet and comes in four colors including Purple, Coral, Pink and Black.

Design

The M-Edge Trip Jacket has a portfolio design. The right side is a jacket that holds the Kindle Fire tablet and the left side covers the front screen of the tablet. The Trip Jacket closes like a notebook, and has an elastic strap that shuts the case securely. The exterior of the Trip Jacket uses rugged canvas material that's treated with ScotchGard to repel liquids, and both front and back the case have very stiff inserts that give your tablet some strong protections against drops, pokes, bumps and more. A strip of thick leather connects the front and back of the case which provides some flexibility for folding while working with the built in stand.

The M-Edge Trip Jacket has a cream colored microsuede like interior that feels soft and won't scratch the surface of your Kindle Fire. The tablet holder and the leather connecting trim have matching colors, coming in a darker cream color (closer to sienna) on Purple, Coral and Pink cases, and black on the Black case. The Trip Jacket looks and feels very sturdy and solidly built with strong stitching. It does add some bulk to the tablet and 4.8 oz. of weight.

Features

The M-Edge Trip Jacket case for the Kindle Fire is very easy to use. The tablet holder on the right side only comes out half way of a full length of the tablet, but the form fitting pocket with elastic strips plus the grippy microfiber interior help hold the tablet securely inside. It's very easy to slide the tablet in to the case and take it out. The thick leather trim is stiff when the case is new, but with use, it will get more flexible. The back of the Trip Jacket case folds half way, and you can fold the cover back to stand in one of the two ribbed slots in the front cover. This built-in stand offers two viewing angles, a flatter angle for media viewing and a more upright angle for using with an external keyboard and more. As with the leather trim, the foldable flap is also a little stiff when the case is new. It might take a bit of conditioning for both parts to make the stand work more smoothly.

Since the Trip Jacket case covers part of the tablet, the audio jack, charging port and the power button on the bottom of the Kindle Fire are exposed for easy access. You should have no trouble using any headset or charging cable with the Kindle Fire while in this case. The top strap of the tablet holder does however cover the left speaker while leaving the right speaker in the open.

Conclusion

If you are looking strong protection for your Kindle Fire, the M-Edge Trip Jacket offers that in a reasonably slim form and in different colors. The case has a very sturdy treated canvas exterior with some seriously stiff inserts and soft lining. The case provides very good shock protection and keep your tablet away from damages in a backpack or travel case. The built-in stand provides two convenient viewings angles, albeit a little too stiff to use smoothly while the case is brand new. The Trip Jacket offers easy access to the bottom controls but covers one of the stereo speakers on the top.